On a traditional farm like Kissane Sheep Farm, sheepdogs are very important. The farmer (shepherd) depends on his dogs whenever he goes into the mountains to find and gather the sheep. John Kissane has several very well-trained sheepdogs that help him every day. When visiting the farm, please remember these are working dogs, not pets.

Six times per year, John brings all the sheep back to the farm to check that they are healthy and to give them the vaccinations they need. Once a year, he shears the sheep. This is always done in the summer months. John gathers the sheep in sections. It is impossible to bring all of the sheep back at one time. John usually takes two or three of our dogs with him. We have eight Border Collies on our farm; some are young and still learning, others are very experienced and work hard to help John. Without the dogs, John would not be able to bring the sheep down from the mountains. We have a lot of land (about 3,000 acres) and we have too many sheep (about 1,000) to do it without their help.